Sour Patch Kids & 7-Eleven's Slurpee Continue Summer Tradition

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Sour Patch Kids & 7-Eleven's Slurpee Continue Summer Tradition

07/08/2016

IRVING, Texas — 7-Eleven Inc. is helping customers see red via a second summer partnership with Sour Patch Kids candy that created the Sour Patch Redberry Slurpee flavor. This limited-time product is available exclusively at participating 7-Eleven stores through the end of the convenience store chain's 100 Days of Summer.

7-Eleven introduced its first Sour Patch Slurpee flavor, Watermelon, during summer 2015, as CSNews Onlinepreviously reported. It became the first limited-time Slurpee flavor to become the top seller ahead of longtime favorites cherry and cola.

"This is a big year for Slurpee, as we celebrate 50 years of frozen fun," said Dennis Phelps, 7-Eleven vice president of foodservice and proprietary beverages. "We wanted a big flavor this summer, and we knew we had a proven winner with Sour Patch Kids after Watermelon broke all kinds of records last year. In 2016, we're taking summer fun and making it 'summer funner.'"

According to social media polls, Redberry is the overwhelming favorite Sour Patch Kids candy flavor with more than half of all votes.

"We think we have another winner with Sour Patch Redberry Slurpee," said Laura Gordon, vice president of marketing and brand innovation. "Last year, we learned from social media that our customers were buying Sour Patch Kids to put in their favorite Slurpee drink. This year, we know that red is not only a favorite Slurpee flavor, it's also clearly the favorite Sour Patch Kids flavor by a huge margin. With Redberry, we are able to give them the best of both worlds."

Mondelēz International's Sour Patch Kids is the No. 1 sour candy brand overall and a top-selling candy at 7-Eleven stores, while fruit-flavored Slurpees are among the most popular with 7-Eleven customers.

"Summer is a special time for teens and we're making it even more awesome by combining Sour Patch Kids' most talked about flavor with the fun of Slurpee," said Wesley Saraceni, brand manager NA candy at Mondelēz International. "Summer doesn't get much better than this."

7-Eleven is also bringing back its Sour Patch Slurpee Selfie Challenge. To participate, Slurpee fans must take a selfie with a Sour Patch Kids Redberry Slurpee between June 26 and July 15, post it to social media with the hashtags #SlurpeeSelfie and #Sweepstakes, and tag @SourPatchKids. The winner will be selected in a random drawing and receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the Teen Choice Awards. The prize package includes round-trip airfare, two nights hotel accommodations, two tickets to the awards show, two VIP post-Awards party passes, ground transportation to hotel, airport and event, and $1,500 in spending money.

Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises and licenses more than 10,700 7-Eleven stores in North America.